I
live
and
breathe
politics.
I’ve
worked
closely
with
politicians
and
government
ministries.
I
believe
it’s
the
most
beautiful,
challenging,
and
interesting
game
in
the
world.
You’re
probably
familiar
with
the
saying,
“I’m
not
here
for
the
money,
I’m
here
for
the
tech.”
For
me,
it’s
more
like,
“I’m
not
here
for
the
tech,
I’m
here
for
the
politics.”
Yes,
I
know
—
most
of
you
fall
somewhere
on
the
spectrum
between
not
understanding,
ignoring,
or
outright
despising
politics.
But
the
hard
truth
is,
that
without
knowing
how
the
game
works
or
leveraging
the
power
of
politics
in
your
venture,
you’re
likely
to
fail.
Politics
is
everywhere.
And
I’m
not
talking
about
your
local
government
or
national
elections.
I’m
talking
about
the
everyday
politics
that
influence
every
decision,,
success,
or
failure
in
the
world
—
even
in
your
new
protocol.
To
succeed,
you
must
understand
what
really
motivates
people,
how
to
direct
a
divided
community
toward
your
goals,,
and
how
to
communicate
your
vision
clearly.
Unfortunately,
most
founders
don’t
get
politics.
They
probably
watched
Silicon
Valley
instead
of
Veep
or
House
of
Cards.
The
word
itself
makes
them
sick.
They
make
the
crucial
mistake
of
not
knowing
how
the
game
is
played
and
what
drives
our
world.
Why
politics
matters
Now,
you
might
be
thinking,
“But
crypto
is
decentralized,
distributed,
and
permissionless
—
no
room
for
politics
here.”
Let
me
chuckle
a
little
and
share
a
secret:
there’s
no
escape
from
politics,
especially
in
crypto.
The
openness
of
this
market
makes
the
politics
around
it
much
more
complicated
and
challenging.
If
you
don’t
understand
the
crypto
political
landscape
—
if
you
don’t
know
how
to
build
a
coalition
and
balance
different
motivations
and
interests,
—
you’re
setting
yourself
up
for
a
rough
ride.
So,
how
do
you
act
as
a
politician?
Let’s
explore
some
diplomatic
strategies.
For
an
outsider
(meaning
the
vast
majority
of
the
world
that
hasn’t
taken
the
red
pill
of
politics),
diplomatic
moves
might
seem
hidden,
shady,
or
even
dirty.
But
in
reality,
it’s
quite
the
opposite.
Politics
is
more
like
a
chess
game.
All
the
players
and
their
power
are
on
the
table,
transparent
for
all
to
see.
All
the
potential
moves
and
tricks
are
available
to
everyone.
The
game
then
becomes
about
execution,
driven
by
your
intellect
and
status.
Politicians
from
different
parties
will
engage
with
each
other
if
both
stand
to
gain,
as
the
power
dynamics
are
clear
to
everyone
involved.
When
speaking
to
one
another,
politicians
don’t
beat
around
the
bush.
They
know
the
rules
of
the
game,
and
they
want
to
win.
They
also
know
they
can
never
win
alone
—
without
their
party
colleagues,
and
even
without
their
opponents.
When
the
rules
of
the
game
are
open
to
everyone,
it
increases
transparency
and
directness.
Ironically,
this
creates
an
environment
that
fosters
execution.
Four
Personas
That
Drive
the
Game
In
crypto,
the
leaders
who
will
impact
your
venture
are
as
diverse
as
they
come.
You’ve
got
traders
chasing
profits,
builders
trying
to
solve
real-world
problems,
tech
purists
pushing
the
boundaries
of
innovation,
and
storytellers
shaping
the
narrative.
Each
leading
group
has
its
own
motivations,
its
own
interests,
and
often,
they
contradict
each
other.
The
art
of
a
successful
founder,
then,
is
to
recognize
these
differences
and
figure
out
how
to
unite
them
in
pursuit
of
your
vision.
From
now
on,
you’re
an
emerging
president
who’s
trying
to
unite
four
different
parties
into
a
strong
coalition
to
fulfill
your
mission
with
the
people
(end-users),
provide
security,
wealth,
prosperity,
and
a
bright
future.
So
how
do
you
do
it?
How
do
you
take
four
groups
with
different,
sometimes
opposing
interests
and
get
them
all
moving
in
the
same
direction?
It
starts
with
deeply
understanding
the
four
personas
that
drive
the
crypto
market.
1.
The
Tech
Purist:
Here
for
the
Tech
The
tech
purist
doesn’t
care
about
your
token
price.
They’re
here
for
the
tech.
They
live
for
breakthrough
technological
innovations
—
new
consensus
mechanisms,
cutting-edge
encryption
methods.
If
it
pushes
the
boundaries
of
what’s
possible
in
the
code
or
the
algorithm,
they’re
all
in.
But
don’t
expect
them
to
care
about
revenue,
adoption,
or
market
success.
People
like
Vitalik
Buterin
or
Nick
Szabo
are
most
loyal
to
the
code
and
the
technology,
and
less
obsessed
with
marketing
or
branding.
They
will
dive
deep
into
your
white
papers,
scrutinize
your
security
protocols,
and
engage
in
endless
debates
about
scalability.
Ignore
them,
and
you
risk
alienating
the
very
people
who
can
validate
your
tech’s
legitimacy.
2.
Traders:
Here
for
the
Money
On
the
other
side
of
the
spectrum
is
the
trader
who
tends
to
be
cynical,
sharp,
and
always
on
the
lookout
for
the
next
big
play.
For
them,
the
entire
crypto
market
is
one
giant
casino,
and
they’re
here
to
maximize
their
gains.
Profit
is
the
only
KPI.
Technology?
That’s
just
a
narrative
—
a
story
to
trade
on.
They’re
constantly
calculating
whether
your
innovation
is
“priced
in”
or
if
there’s
more
juice
left
to
squeeze.
They’ll
pump
your
project
one
day
and
dump
it
the
next.
If
you
want
people
like
Arthur
Hayes
or
Andrew
Kang
on
your
side,
you
better
have
something
that
makes
their
investment
worthwhile.
But
remember,
they’re
not
in
it
for
the
long
haul
—
they’re
here
to
make
a
quick
profit
and
move
on.
Understand
their
game,
and
you
might
just
keep
them
interested
long
enough
to
benefit
your
project.
3.
Builders:
Here
for
Changing
the
World
Then
there’s
the
builder.
They’re
not
just
here
to
innovate—they’re
here
to
change
the
world.
For
them,
blockchain
is
more
than
just
a
technology;
it’s
a
tool
to
solve
real-world
problems.
They
see
the
flaws
in
existing
systems
and
believe
they
can
fix
them,
one
block
at
a
time.
They’re
not
obsessed
with
the
technology
itself
like
the
tech
purist,
but
with
the
impact
it
can
have.
And
while
they
know
the
market
and
trading
dynamics
are
part
of
the
game,
they
see
it
as
secondary
to
their
mission.
People
like
Stani
Kulechov
or
Hyden
Adams
could
make
or
break
your
project
—
because
they’ll
become
your
design
partner,
build
on
top
of
your
project,
drive
adoption,
and
turn
your
vision
into
reality.
4.
Storytellers:
Here
for
the
Audience
Enter
the
journalists
and
publicists.
The
storytellers,
the
content
creators,
the
influencers.
They’re
the
ones
who
bridge
the
gap
between
the
tech,
the
market,
and
the
masses.
In
a
space
as
complex
and
fast-moving
as
crypto,
these
personas
are
crucial.
They
gather
the
data,
dissect
it,
and
present
it
in
a
way
that’s
digestible
for
the
wider
audience.
They
control
the
narrative,
and
in
this
game,
narrative
is
worth
a
lot.
Storytellers
can
make
or
break
a
project
by
how
they
present
it
to
the
world.
Some
play
it
straight,
reporting
facts
and
letting
the
audience
decide.
Others,
let’s
be
real,
are
in
it
for
the
clout
—
their
goal
is
to
build
a
following,
gain
recognition,
and
influence
the
market.
But
no
matter
where
they
fall
on
this
spectrum,
you
need
them
in
your
corner.
Without
people
like
Laura
Shin
or
Bankless,
your
project
is
just
another
drop
in
the
crypto
ocean.
As
if
your
job
wasn’t
hard
enough,
you’ve
also
got
the
gatekeepers
to
contend
with;
the
regulators.
From
the
justice
system,
through
government
agencies,
to
your
company’s
legal
team,
they
hold
the
keys
to
the
game.
Whether
it’s
regulating
securities,
derivatives,
and
futures,
dealing
with
tax
implications,
anti-money
laundering
(AML)
protocols,
know-your-customer
(KYC)
regulations,
or
ensuring
custody
and
monitoring
to
prevent
deceptive
financial
practices,
the
spectrum
of
oversight
is
vast.
Like
it
or
not,
they’re
here
to
stay,
and
they
wield
significant
power.
In
some
countries
more
than
others,
but
in
every
case,
you
can’t
afford
to
ignore
them.
The
gatekeepers
can
dramatically
impact
your
vision
and
execution.
Knowing
the
rules,
learning
them
inside
and
out,
and
playing
by
them
is
essential
—
because
they
can
easily
obstruct
your
path
to
success
if
you
don’t.
Building
a
Coalition
That
Works
Now
that
we’ve
introduced
the
four
personas
(and
the
gatekeepers),
let’s
turn
the
focus
back
to
you
—
the
founder.
Having
a
brilliant
idea
isn’t
enough;
Your
job
is
to
build
a
coalition
that
unites
these
parties,
making
sure
each
player
has
a
seat
at
the
table
based
on
their
power
and
potential
impact
on
your
venture.
I
know,
you
want
top
venture
capital
firms
to
back
you.
You
want
the
best
teams
building
on
your
platform.
You
want
rock-solid
security,
no
hacks.
You
want
explosive
growth,
to
be
the
name
on
everyone’s
lips,
to
land
podcast
interviews.
You
want
all
the
TVL
in
the
world.
You
want
revenue,
fees,
and
a
token
that
outperforms
the
market.
You
want
your
airdrop
to
actually
matter.
You
want
end-users
flocking
to
your
innovation.
You
want
your
project
to
be
a
rocket
ship,
to
dominate,
to
become
the
market
leader.
Take
EigenLayer,
for
example.
The
team
nailed
this
balance.
They
didn’t
just
focus
on
the
tech
—
although
the
new
primitive
of
shared
security
certainly
caught
the
tech
purist’s
eye,
which
participated
from
the
get-go
in
a
security
committee
to
maximize
risk
management.
They
also
made
sure
to
secure
enough
funding
from
VCs
(yes,
they
are
here
for
the
money
as
well,
don’t
be
surprised),
and
incentivized
traders
with
a
pointing
system,
attracting
ETH
for
staking,
which
secured
the
platform.
Builders
saw
the
potential
to
solve
real
problems
using
AVSs,
leveraging
Ethereum’s
security.
And
let’s
not
forget
the
Storytellers
who
helped
spread
the
word
of
restaking,
discussing
the
implications
of
this
new
innovation
across
various
platforms.
This
is
the
art
of
the
possible
—
bringing
together
different
parties
with
different
interests,
playing
by
the
gatekeeper’s
rules
(successfully,
so
far),
to
create
something
that
lasts
(and
is
worth
a
lot,
on-paper).
Navigating
conflicting
interests
What
will
happen
if
you
can’t
find
the
balance
point
and
fail
to
bring
a
persona
to
the
table?
The
Tech
Purist
will
criticize
your
code
and
advise
the
core
community
to
stay
away
from
your
smart
contract.
The
Trader
will
find
ways
to
manipulate
your
tokenomics.
The
Builder
will
choose
your
competitor’s
layer.
And
the
Storyteller
will
publicly
tear
you
apart
in
front
of
your
target
audience.
That’s
just
one
possible
outcome.
They
might
also
ignore
you,
or
worse,
never
even
hear
about
you.
This
is
what
happens
to
bad
politicians
too
—
they
fail
and
disappear
into
oblivion.
They
fail
because
they
are
unfamiliar
with
or
refuse
to
play
by
the
rules
of
the
game.
They
neglect
groups
within
their
ecosystem,
turning
potential
catalysts
for
their
goals
into
enemies.
Don’t
be
like
them.
Think
of
it
like
building
a
coalition
in
politics.
A
strong
coalition
doesn’t
require
everyone
to
agree
on
everything.
It
requires
everyone
to
see
a
piece
of
their
own
interest
in
the
broader
goal.
That’s
what
you
need
to
create.
You’re
not
just
a
founder
—
you’re
a
politician,
a
diplomat,
a
strategist.
And
if
you
can
master
this
art,
you’ll
do
more
than
just
succeed
—
you’ll
lead.
Note:
The
views
expressed
in
this
column
are
those
of
the
author
and
do
not
necessarily
reflect
those
of
CoinDesk,
Inc.
or
its
owners
and
affiliates.
